Former FBI director claims Trump fired him over Russia investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has been accused of spreading “lies, plain and simple,” according to the former FBI Director James Comey.

On Thursday, Comey told the Senate intelligence committee that “It’s my judgment that I was fired [last month] because of the Russia investigation.”

Comey was investigating if Russia has ties with the Trump administration, believing they interfered in the 2016 election. The president’s goal was to create distrust in the FBI under Comey’s leadership, he continued.

“I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted,” said Comey. “That is a very big deal, and not just because it involves me.”

Citing a specific example, Comey says he had a “strange private encounter” with Trump in the Oval Office where he was pushed to stop looking into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

Thus far Trump has yet to say anything public about Comey’s comments beyond a tweet saying he “better hope there are no ‘tapes'” of them talking.

During his testimony Comey retorted “Lordy, I hope there are tapes;” eluding that it would be evidence supporting his claims.

“There should be no fuzz on this. The Russians interfered,” concluded Comey. “That happened. It’s about as unfake as you can possibly get.”